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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 05 Hansard (Thursday, 13 May 2004) . . Page.. 1806 ..

Canberran is: is this an amazing coincidence, selective amnesia, phoney memory loss, or simply poor leadership by the Chief Minister on such a serious issue?

We in this place must be mindful of living in glass houses and throwing stones. However, this Chief Minister has a track record of poor recall and poor leadership which alarms the people of Canberra. It seems that Mr Corbell thinks that that is amusing. There are still many questions yet to be answered by the Chief Minister, including the sighting by people in the community on the night of Friday, 17 January at Red Hill lookout.

The Chief Minister desperately continues to maintain the line that he inadvertently forgot one of the most important phone calls of his career to the CEO of the department of emergency services on the day the worst natural disaster in living memory hit Canberra. I am sorry, Jon, I just cannot believe that of you. It does not sit right with me. You are a man with a sharp legal mind. You are not a fool. Neither are we, nor are the people of Canberra.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Refer to the Chief Minister by his proper title, please.

MRS BURKE: I am sorry, Chief Minister, I just cannot believe that of you. It does not sit right with me. You are a man with a sharp legal mind. You are not a fool. Neither are we, nor are the people of Canberra. Please do not treat us or the people of Canberra in this way. To say, “I don’t remember” is simply not good enough. To say, “I was under pressure” is not good enough and not acceptable to members or the people of Canberra, especially as he was relaxing over a cup of coffee while the ESB staff were in utter chaos and people in the suburbs who were depending upon him and his leadership were about to lose their homes and their possessions, with four people actually losing their lives.

The fact that Mr Keady was called back to the coronial inquest as a direct result of the telephone call revelation shows the gravity of the matter. The fact that the Chief Minister was afforded the same courtesy and declined the opportunity to put the record straight shows nothing more than his arrogant indifference and disregard for the members of this place and for the people of Canberra.

The role of Chief Minister is a position of great responsibility and such a person must have the capacity to remember important points and conversations with the most senior bureaucrats in this territory. Perhaps Mr Stanhope does not know what is said because he is too busy talking when other people are trying to point out some things to him—as he is now. Those bureaucrats are under his leadership. He is not paid to forget, nor is he paid to say, “I was under a lot of pressure”. That is his job and if he cannot stand the heat he should get out of the kitchen. I am sure that Mr Quinlan would not knock back the opportunity to have a go.

This territory deserves better leadership and a chief minister who can handle serious issues when under pressure. I am sure that the Chief Minister knows that well, if only he were true to himself. (Extension of time granted.) To reiterate, this whole issue is about honesty and integrity in public office, leadership, and the ability of this Chief Minister to handle pressure and to be honest at all times. Of course, such a glaring oversight on his part is not an isolated occurrence.

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